This past Saturday, the Maryland State Police had their annual Polar Bear Plunge fundraiser for the Maryland Special Olympics. The first two, of three, plunges went off as scheduled, but the third was canceled after more than 100 people were treated for hypothermia and exposure, and more than 80 of those people were hospitalized.

This was my 12th Polar Bear Plunge/Deep Creek Dunk/Penguin Swim, and it was by far the coldest I had ever experienced. The air temperature was 22 degrees the water temperature was a balmy 37, but the wind-chill was the real killer at 5 (above 0). I was in a heated tent for most of the morning, and only ventured out into the cold 30 minutes before the plunge. We went to the beach, stripped down to our swim trunks, ran into the water, dunked, had a rescue diver take our picture, and then ran out to the heating tent. It would be generous to say we were exposed for 15-20 minutes with 10-15 of that waiting in line to get into the heating tent while wearing a coat.

While waiting in line to get into the tent my hands started to hurt, badly, and clinch up. My body was shivering under the coat and every muscle in my body was tensed up to keep from shaking uncontrollably. I reached into my pack to pull out some hand warmers, but as I opened the pack, I couldn't feel the zipper (it was weird, my hands hurt, and were numb at the same time). I found the hand warmers immediately and got them out, but by this time my hands had frozen to the point where I couldn't open a the cellophane wrapping; I just did not have enough dexterity left to tear along the seam. It really is amazing how much is taken out of you when you're cold. Even changing in the warming tent was interesting; my sense of balance, was totally kaput. I had large motor function, but only when I was running; once I stopped, everything stiffened up, and I had to concentrate to move.

Thankfully this was in a relatively controlled environment so I was able to dry off, eat some hot food, and warm back up without the need for a medic. If I were in the woods, though, I would have been in a world of hurt. I have hand warmers, survival matches, fire starter, and a Bic lighter in my hiking pack; and could not have used any of them the way I felt Saturday; my hands just didn't work. Looks like I'm adding a push-button lighter to my pack before my next hike

bob

Raising Money -- and goose bumps - Baltimore Sun